Sanofi SA (NYSE: SNY) fired back Wednesday after Roseanne Barr blamed its sleep aid Ambien for a racist tweet that drew public backlash and prompted ABC to cancel “Roseanne.”
The previous morning, Barr tweeted that if “muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby = vj” in reference to Valerie Jarrett, former aide to President Barack Obama.
Barr soon replaced the post with an apology but, after a long day of criticism and significant media attention, eventually blamed her insomnia drug.
"It was 2 in the morning and I was ambien tweeting - it was memorial day too - I went 2 far & do not want it defended - it was egregious Indefensible,” she tweeted.
To be fair, Sanofi does list “abnormal thinking and behavioral changes” including “decreased inhibition” in aggression in its Ambien information sheet. But critics responded to Barr’s claim with humor-laced skepticism.
Said one, “I have only taken Ambien once...but I don't remember one of the side-effects being racism.”
Barr maintained the Ambien defense in spite of the backlash.
"Yes, I have had odd ambien experiences on tweeting late at night-like many other ppl do. I BLAME MYSELF OK?" she tweeted in response to one critic.
The Bridgewater, New Jersey-based company was in the news last week, as the Food and Drug Administration has accepted Sanofi's regulatory filing for
Zynquista (sotagliflozin). The investigational oral treatment would be used in addition to insulin therapy to improve blood sugar control in adults with type 1 diabetes.
SNY stock neared Wednesday’s close up 77 cents, or 2%, to $38.62.
